Twilight Descent
by AlphaNinn
Summary: The mage Xylena finds herself in Najena, and is forced to risk destroying the hard work she has done to begin down the path of evil.


Twilight Descent   
By Ninn   


Xylena moved quickly through the shadows in the forest of Nektulos, covered by a shroud of   
invisibility. She knew that the inhabitants of the adjacent city would not yet tolerate, let alone   
welcome her, despite the hard work she had been doing. Her journey wasn't to end in the forest,   
though, she was merely passing through to first reach the ruins of Najena, then the Temple of   
Soulsek Ro. Neither place caused any anxiety in her, the temple was peaceful, and the inhabitants   
of Najena were no threat to her, or so she had heard. 

It was with a little luck that she made it through Nektulos safely, leaving the forsest to enter the   
Lavastorm Mountains. Najena was a short run, and she was confident that it wouldn't take her   
long to acquire the specific torch that she needed. It seemed logical to her that there'd be at least   
one of them hanging on the walls. 

The ruins soon came into view, the entrance half hidden by fallen derbis. She slid past it carefully,   
so not to disturb it. She had no urge to be sealed inside, even if she wasn't technically trapped.   
She stayed hidden by her spell, but it wasn't long before she realized that many of the inhabitants   
could see through it. 

"...Well, unless there's something here that I haven't taken into consideration, I'll be fine, especially   
with a pet," with the words, she dropped the invisibility spell and called a fire elemential to her side   
and began walking forward. Her pet dropped the skeletons that attacked her quickly, leaving her   
free to keep her full attention on what she was looking for, mostly. From time to time, she'd pass   
a Dark Elf, standing against a wall, staring at her with hostility restrained due to differences in   
strength between the two. For one the the residents of Najena to take her on would mean death   
to the resident. Though Xylena didn't want to kill, she would defend her life. 

She moved swiftly though the halls, the ambiance of the the ruins were creepy, and she was pretty   
sure that she was either lost or well on the way to getting lost. 

"Hey, you!" 

Xylena turned to face the voice, not supirsed to see another of the Dark Elves staring at her, preparing   
a spell. 

"I'll kill you!" 

Xylena was able to resist the spell with no harm, but her pet, loyal as he was, was immediatly ontop of   
her assailant, and dropped the woman quickly. Though force of habit, Xylena walked over to the corpse,   
and removed a small sum of cash and a gem before moving farther into the ruins. She could tell that she   
was the only non resident in the place, but pushed the thought out of her head as the floor began to slant   
downward. News of her killing had travelled quickly, and she found that she was undisturbed. She   
also felt horrible. 

Though Xylena was supposed to follow a set of rules, of obligations, she had long since shunned then.   
But, she had not yet proven herself to those that hated her, and she knew that single killing had destroyed   
much of her hard work. Not that it was important, weather she had to kill one or a hundred, her goal   
would be obtained. 

She was confident that she was alone in the hallway, or so she thought. Despite her battle honed senses,   
Xylena failed to notice the pair that appeared behind her, yelping only when she felt herself restrained   
by a pair of large, strong hands that lifted her off the ground. It was an ogre. 

"Let me down, you brute!" she flailed against the grasp, but was unable to break it. The dark elf that was   
near the ogre had managed to take down her pet, and was now standing in eye line of Xylena. 

"Despiciable Koada'Dal. Don't you know the strength of the Tier'Dal?" the female Tier'Dal spoke slowly,   
then waved the ogre in a general direction." 

"You can't do this to me! Don't you know that I'm not really your enemy?" 

"You have killed one of us here. That is enough. I will see you again later." 

Xylena spoke no more, only glared as the ogre carried her away. Seconds later, the ogre cracked her over   
the head, sending her into darkness. When she came to, the first thing she was aware of was that her pet   
was gone, and the she was laying face down on a gritty feeling floor. She raised herself to a sitting   
position slowly, checking herself for injury or theft. Soon sure that she was unharmed, she stood, calling a   
new fire elemential to her side, and only then began to look at her surroundings. 

She was alone in a cell, but not entirely alone. Through the bars she could see into an adjacent cell, that held   
two beings, another Koada'Dal, and a gnome. The Koada'Dal was looking at her, but Xylena turned away.   
Her prision was small, dirty, with only a carved stone bench in it. It was better than sitting on the floor, but   
she remained standing, and glanced upward at the ceiling. There was a hole there, that appeared to   
connect to a hallway. Xylena guessed that she had been placed in the cell that way, judging by her landing   
posistion and the dull ache in her body. It was too high to levitate out of, and her gaze returned to the bench,   
which she then moved to. 

"Hey, you, mage girl." 

The voice was whispering, and Xylena turned to face it. It was the other Koada'Dal, now Xylena could see   
that she was an enchanter, "What?" 

"You look stronger that the things here. How did you get captured?" 

She shrugged slightly, "I was snuck up on while distracted. I'm not worried." 

"My friend and I have been here for along time. We weren't worried either. Now we're trapped." 

Xylena moved her gaze between the Koada'Dal and the gnome, "I'm sorry. But, since you've been here   
awhile, I assume you know how often, if at all, that guards patrol." 

"Yes. An ogre comes around every few hours." 

"Then I have my way out." 

The gnome moved closer to her, "Will you get us out of here with you?" 

Xylena shrugged, "I could just gate out.... and you'd still be trapped." 

"If you were going to gate, you'd have done so already. You, like every other mage that has come through,   
are looking for something." 

"And no one's freed you. I find that hard to believe." 

The gnome grinned sheepishly, "We don't know our way around here, nor are we strong enough to evade   
those that live here." 

"I'll free you," Xylena spoke slowly, "You'll never have to worry about being here again..." 

The Koada'Dal gazed at her questioningly, then recoiled in horror as the fiery being descended upon   
her. The gnome rushed to her aid, but was felled quickly with a spell from the one who claimed she would   
free them. 

Moments later, Xylena moved back to where she had been sitting, "I'm sorry...but death is better than   
living here forever." 

It was true that she could quite easily get out of here, but that didn't appeal to her. She hadn't been feeling   
herself, and if she was in here, then she wouldn't have to deal with anything. She was staring at the wall,   
unaware of the time passing, not touching the guards that walked by. Pent up emotions threatened to   
spill, and a few tears slipped down her face. In here, no one would talk to her, she could escape the   
responsibilities that came with her posistion. She would never hurt any of her friends, and she was eternally   
loyal to those she led, but she was just overwhelmed. 

"Well, now isn't this a pretty site." 

Xylena recognized the voice as the Tier'Dal she had been talking to earlier, "Leave me alone." 

"I see you kill indiscriminatly," she gestured to the bodies in the other cell. 

"I'm no worse than your race. I kill those who annoy me," Xylena looked up and exaimed the other   
woman. She could tell that it wouldn't be wise to attack outright, this being was much stronger than the   
rest of the beings here. 

"And they annoyed you?" 

"Shut up." 

"My name is Sheh'sha Yulrero. I am not one you want to make an enemy of. I am of high power here,   
and if you attepmt anything right now, you will be chased down and killed by my allies." 

"You say that as if I care. Giving me your name wasn't smart, Sheh'sha. I too have allies. And while I   
may not kill, they will fight for me," she stood and moved closer to the bars that seperated her from   
Sheh'sha, "Just because I am striving to become welcome among your kind, doesn't mean I won't put   
a setback or two on the path." 

"I was told that the Koada'Dal were ignorant fools. Xylena, you are doing nothing but proving that   
correct," she paused, looking for any sign of supirze in the other woman at the knowledge of her name.   
Not seeing any, she continued, "And you, you are an outcast. A pitiful member of your race. You   
aren't deserving of anything you have." 

"I am an outcast, but it is by choice. At least I'm not deluding myself into thinking I have power over   
a broken, out of the way, ruin." 

Sheh'sha said nothing, rather walked over to the other cell where the two corpses lay, opened the   
door, and knelt by them. Xylena watched her, her arms crossed over her chest. 

"Tell me, Koada'Dal, what is it you hope to gain by this? Do you truely believe that you will ever   
become allies with my race," the words were said with scorn, as the other woman moved back to   
where she had been standing previously. 

"The future will reveal itself in time. I am merely trying to sway it towards a path that I find appealing." 

"Strong words. Shame that you haven't thought of the consequences. It is easier to make one hate you   
than to make another one like you," Sheh'sha paused, "You will be welcome nowhere. You will be   
able to do nothing." 

Xylena shook her head slightly, "If you belive that, then you know little. Unwelcome as I may be on   
Norrath and Luclin, I will be able to continue normal business in the Planes. There is a city there that   
doesn't care about what you do. Have you isolated yourself here for that long that you are unaware of   
what's going on outside?" 

"This is not about me," Sheh'sha pulled a handful of large vials out of the bag that lay on her side and   
stared at them. Each of them was filled with a liquid, each of slightly different colors, "Do you see these,   
Koada'Dal? Do you know what they are?" 

Xylena glanced at the vials, then back at Sheh'sha, "Gathering the blood of the fallen is a common   
practice." 

Sheh'sha nodded, and carefully uncapped each of the vials, "The Tier'Dal, the Gnome, and the other   
Koada'Dal," she nodded to each vial as she spoke, "Each now is reduced to nothing, by your hand.   
Of the second two, I couldn't care less, but I will not stand for you killing my kind. Forever will you be   
cursed to wear the blood of those you kill on you!" Sheh'sha moved quickly, and flung the vials at   
Xylena, which shattered on impact, soaking into her clothing immediatly. 

"I was holding back, Sheh'sha, but you have crossed the line," Xylena spoke calmly as she motioned   
for the fire elemential that was waiting patiently at her side to attack. She had caught the Tier'Dal off   
guard, "I will add your blood to that which is already on me." 

"My blood will only hinder your 'goal'," Sheh'sha spoke as she attacked, attempting to get past the fiery   
being that was blocking her from her true target, at the same time being pushed back by the spells that   
her opponent was casting. 

"I have prepared for a long path, killing you will only mean that I will have to kill a few more of my own   
kind. It is something I am prepared to do," Xylena stumbled backwards as her opponent managed to   
get off a spell, and called her pet to come to her. There was a chance that Sheh'sha was holding the key   
to open the gate, and if so, she needed to be able to reach the body from behind the bars. As she had   
expected, Sheh'sha moved toward them. 

"Calling your pet off? Do you think that will earn you my mercy?" 

"Not at all. Sheh'sha Yulero, it is your time to die!" Xylena spoke as she activated the strongest spell she   
knew. Sheh'sha had been weakened by her pet, and the spell, as Xylena had hoped, was enough to bring   
Sheh'sha to the floor, though not quite dead. 

Xylena said nothing, only watched the figure on the ground. 

"Are you not going to finish me off? Or are you cruel enough to let me suffer." 

"Have you ever been in this situation before, laying, unable to get up while the one who did it to you stood   
over you? ....No, I didn't think so. This is what your people have done to mine." 

"...You sound bitter." 

"What goes around, comes around," Xylena shrugged, "Those I don't like, regardless of if they're supposedly   
friend or enemy, will suffer. Had you not taunted me, you'd still be standing. I'd not have attacked you." 

Sheh'sha made a low growling noise, and Xylena decided to finish her off. 

"You're just annoying me now. My pet, kill her." 

Seconds later, Sheh'sha was dead, and Xylena was kneeling next to her, kneeling in a spreading pool of blood   
while searching the pockets and bag of the fallen Tier'Dal for the key she was seeking. The bag held more than   
just the key, and Xylena found that she had the torch she had come for. 

She stood quickly, not bothering to attempt to wipe the blood off her pants, and began to carefully head toward   
the entrance to the ruins. 

She was aware that she would have to move quicker now to earn the favor of the Tier'Dal, the majority of them,   
anyway, she had befriended a few, promised them that she was no danger to them. One of them, a necromancer,   
was spending his time hidden in Felwithe, waiting for the time to make his attack. Soon, soon she would join him,   
and seal her ways. She was the enemy that Felwithe didn't know they had, she would work to help destroy the   
city in due time.   


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

It is well known in my guild that I am striving to become evil on my character, and it has also been providing me with   
plenty of chances to get good stories out of it. This particular story was inspired while I was doing my focus item quest,   
and ended up in one of the cells in Najena, then proceeded to remain trapped before I figued out that it was possible to   
run through the bars, albeit slowly. Another reason I wrote this particular piece is because I needed to get out some   
emotions that have been bothering me, and I feel that I succeed.   



End file.
